Quick update on my mom for those who follow my blog. She is doing really well. It's been a week and two days since her mastectomy and she hasn't taken pain meds for days. She's up moving around, sweeping, loading & unloading the dishwasher, even watering plants outside. She tires easily, but that's to be expected. Her hair is growing like crazy and it's coming in this beautiful, shiny white color. She seems to be healing nicely and she has a great attitude. God must pick people carefully to give the challenge of breast cancer because she has been such a trouper! I had no idea she had this kind of strength in her. I knew she was an awesome mom, but seriously, she is amazing! I pray that I have half her strength if I ever need it.
Friday, July 17, 2009
RIP, Walter Cronkite
I wasn't even alive when iconic news man Walter Cronkite interrupted "my" soap opera, As The World Turns, to tell the nation that President Kennedy had died. But that grainy, black & white video is the first thing I think of when I hear the name Cronkite. Maybe it's because of my journalism background. A requirement of sorts. He was once named "the most trusted man in America," in a time when we still trusted journalists. The way the profession has changed almost made me completely switch majors. But I held on. I believed that there were still good stories to tell. And that there are still reputable, professional journalists out there. I now work in public relations and it's true. I work with lots of journalists and most of them are salt of the earth, hard-working news hounds. I love working with them, actually. Turns out the hardest part of my job is convincing other people that not all journalists are bad. I doubt PR people ever had to do that in Walter Cronkite's day. RIP, Walter Cronkite. We already miss you.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
We Had Him
I love Maya Angelou and in late April, I was lucky enough to hear her speak in person at my alma mater, West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. I haven't blogged about the experience yet...I guess I'm waiting until I have time to perfect what I want to say. Angelou's words almost always move me to tears. The poem that she wrote memorializing Michael Jackson was no different. It reminded me how fragile life is and although written specifically for Michael Jackson, it made me think about my dad and my grandparents. We are all here on loan. I feel so lucky to have had my loved ones -- and for that matter, icons like Michael Jackson and Maya Angelou -- in my life, even if in a small way.
Here is the text of "We Had Him" and a video of Queen Latifah reading it at the memorial service:
We Had Him
by Dr. Maya Angelou
Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing,
now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.
Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace.
Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing.
No clocks can tell time.
No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style.
We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.
His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing.
He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him, and we are the world.
Here is the text of "We Had Him" and a video of Queen Latifah reading it at the memorial service:
We Had Him
by Dr. Maya Angelou
Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing,
now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.
Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace.
Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing.
No clocks can tell time.
No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style.
We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.
His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing.
He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him, and we are the world.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
From the hospital...
Mom's in her hospital room, still sleeping. She looks good. Watched the nurse empty the drain & it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Incision looks good according to the medical people, but terrible to me. It's a barbaric surgery. I just pray that all the cancer is gone!
Out of surgery!
They just finished mom's surgery & she went through it great! She's in recovery & then will go to a room soon. Thank God!
Headed into surgery...
Mom just went into surgery. She's in good spirits, already making jokes & everything. I have lots of confidence in her medical team...they are all very nice and good at what they do.
Before the hospital...
I have so many things I need to blog about, but I've been so busy! Today is my mom's mastectomy surgery. She has been so brave through her chemo treatments & I know that she will do well in surgery & recovery too. I can tell my mom is nervous, but she even got up and cleaned out the fridge this morning! 6:48 a.m. and almost time to leave for the hospital. Prayers, please.
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